Tottenham Hotspur Ladies -

First Team reports 2003-04

The main flow of the game was towards the Bushey goal, but there were a few moments of concern for the Tottenham Ladies.

As soon as the second minute, the Bushey keeper had to take a cross from Kenne Ogunneye under her bar and then Kenne went close a minute later from Samrawit Bereket's cross.  Another cross into the area almost produced a goal, when Latoyah Johnson just failed to get a touch on Leah Flintham's pass into the danger area.

It was 10 minutes before Bushey threatened the Spurs goal, but the effort flew wide of the mark.  Abidemi Andero, making her debut, hit a shot that caught a deflection and it had to be well saved by the visiting goalie, while Kenne also produced another save before Spurs finally beat the Rangers custodian.

Lucy Auguste's pass found Leah running forward and she drew the keeper before blasting the ball past her for the 16th minute opener.  It gave Tottenham the confidence to play the ball around and a couple of headers from Leah and Kenne went close to adding to the lead.  That happened in the 22nd minute, when Samrawit Bereket hit a through ball to Zoella Freeman, who produced a clever curling shot from the edge of the area to beat the keeper's dive to make it 2-0.

Latoyah and Kenne both went close before the break, but it stayed 2-0 on the ref's whistle to signal the interval.

The Ladies picked up from where they left off before the first half finished and Leah was beaten to the ball by the keeper twice in as many minutes after the restart.  Latoyah cracked a shot just over the top, Zoella forced the keeper to save at the foot of her post and on 53 minutes, Leah fired in a shot that bounced out, but straight to Kenne, who stuck the third goal into an empty net.

The game settled down and Bushey established a  more solid formation that restricted the opportunities to a Leah shot, an Oshodi header and Lucy's drive that went wide of the goal.  In the 80th minute, Lucy Auguste, who had just been lectured by the referee, strode past a few Bushey layers and unleashed a powerful drive that flew past the keeper for the fourth goal.  Spurs were patient and played a neat move, with Zoella passing unselfishly to Leah to net her second of the match in an unguarded goal.  This was in the 84th minute, two minutes after the Bushey goalie had to limp of injured.

While no further goals were added, Zoella had a "goal" ruled out for offside, after Leah tried to return the compliment for her goal and Lucy also went close at the death.

Kay Lovelock

It was a lively match played in a tough atmosphere, but Spurs managed to lead four times, but leave the West London side's ground with little to show for their endeavours.

A pitiful crowd of about 19 watched proceedings, with the Spurs contingent making more noise than the few home fans who turned out.  They had a lot to shout about in a first half of goals and mistakes that showed that outsiders can take their more elevated opponents all the way.

An early Lucy Auguste free-kick flew wide, before Gill Blackmore found some space on the right wing from a Samrawit Bereket throw-in.  She looped the ball up to the middle of the goal and Kenne Ogunneye's jump with the keeper distracted the Rangers player and the cross slipped through her hands and into the net to give Tottenham a 12th minute lead.  The opening part of the game was totally dominated by Spurs with shots raining in from Leah Flintham, another Lucy free-kick and another narrow-angled effort from Leah that surprised the keeper and hit the post.

QPR had only had one weak shot go wide when they equalised in the 22nd minute.  A free-kick into the box was met by the Icelandic striker Svava Bjornsdottir, but Toni Munro blocked her shot.  However, the ball rebounded out to Simone Dwyer who had grounded her marker to shot home from the edge of the box.

This prompted the home side to move forward more and a far post shot from another free-kick flew over the top, before Samrawit Bereket made a timely interception with two Rangers players behind her poised to strike.  Toni saved from a low skidding free-kick a minute later to keep the scores level.  

It was an important save, as in the 27th minute, Lucy Auguste swung a corner to the far post, where Kenne ghosted in behind a static QPR defence to nod in to restore the lead.  But it wasn't for long.  Straight from the free-kick, there was a run by the home side's winger up the right, but it was halted by a tackle from Lucy that the referee determined to be a foul and a penalty was awarded.  It was stuck away by Demery to make the score 2-2 on the half hour.

Like a typical Cup tie, the play swung to the other end and Leah set up Zoella Freeman, who nipped past a couple of defenders, but the keeper's dive prevented a goal, as did Toni's dive to divert a low shot around the post of the Spurs goal in the next attack.  Zoella had another chance stopped by the goalie before Kenne was fouled and a free-kick awarded to Spurs some 15 yards outside the area.  Lucy stepped up and hit a low shot that skidded off the damp turf, the speed of which evaded the keeper's dive that went over the ball and gave Tottenham a 3-2 advantage with 37 minutes on the clock.

Again Tottenham let the initiative slip, when straight from the kick-off, QPR's Seaman shot forward to beat Toni and make the scores level once more.  However, that only lasted for four minutes, as the Rangers defender Ambridge bundled over Leah in the penalty area and the referee gave the second spot kick of the game - this time to Tottenham.  The Spurs forward got up to take the 42nd minute penalty herself and left the keeper rooted to the line, as she put the ball to her left and out of her reach.

Although there was still three minutes left, Zoella twice had shots fly past the woodwork from outside the penalty area as the half came to a close.

Both sides had shown defensive lapses in the first half and it was expected that both managers would address this during the break, so the second half was much tighter.

Jackie Fearon met a Kerry Daniells cross early in the half, but it went just wide, before Spurs lost Freeman to injury and Abidemi Andero came on in her place.  With 11 minutes of the second half gone, a long range shot flew off the grass, but Toni got behind it to block the effort and made an even better save to preserve the lead from the rebound when it was lashed goalwards from a couple of yards out.

Spurs were further hit by injury, when Crissy Oshodi had to come on for Leah, who suffered a back injury.  This did not stop them going forward though, as Jackie played in Gill on the left wing and a low cross was fumbled by the Rangers keeper and was cleared for a corner as Latoyah Johnson closed in.

A yellow card for Ambridge for a foul on Fearon right on the edge of the area lead to a Kelly Herrett free-kick that Kenne headed up in the air and when it dropped in the six yard box, caused panic in the QPR defence.  Abidemi hit a volley back in, but the keeper held it as it bounced towards her.  Crissy Oshodi also had a low shot saved, before another free-kick from Kelly, this time from 20 yards out, flew just the wrong side of the angle of the goal.  Jackie picked up a booking on 75 minutes for a foul in midfield.

With nine minutes remaining, a long free-kick to the far post by Rangers found substitute Smith unmarked and she headed the fourth equaliser from close range to give QPR fresh hope.  Spurs could not keep the ball at the other end and with four minutes left of the ninety minutes, a cleared effort came out on the right to Smith again and she took the ball first time from 25 yards and lobbed it over the retreating Munro to net the winner.

It was harsh on Tottenham who had been more than a match for their opponents, who play in a division above them, but the game was a thrilling one and although the four goals were not enough in the end, a number of Spurs players were carrying knocks by the time the final whistle sounded.

With constant Spurs pressure this was a very one sided affair and before long Leah Flintham caught the ball on the half volley from close range to make it 2-0.

On the half hour, Kelly Herrett grabbed her first goal of the campaign with a trade-mark long range free-kick into the top corner.  The next was a very coolly taken Johnson tap in to leave the ladies cruising at 4-0.

The ladies then made the first of two defensive howlers, both that proved costly; this one when Toni Munro hesitated in coming off her line, after calling for the ball, letting in Orient, who were down, but certainly not out.  Soon after Leah got her second with a tap in from a Johnson set up and then completed her hat trick before half time with another superb volley from a corner.

The second half saw a more determined Clapton performance and although Spurs applied sustained pressure including changing to a more attacking 3-4-3 formation, with the withdrawal of defender Lorraine Sparrow to be replaced by Lucy August upfront and fresh legs in the shape of Abidemi for Farnum, they found it hard to break down the dogged Clapton defence.

Then came the second error - a carbon copy of the first - with the Spurs keeper calling for a ball that was never going to be hers and again the Orient forwards punished the mistake with impunity.

Apart from this, the outcome was never in doubt, but the second half saw Spurs waste chance after chance with only Herrett adding to the tally with another well placed free-kick and a stinging shot from Latoyah that the keeper only managed to deflect into the path of Kehinde to net Tottenham's eighth.

Pete Skinner

From the start Spurs took the game to the Bees, with Latoyah Johnson going close and it was her effort a few minutes later, that bounced back off the Brentford keeper for Leah Flintham to snap up to give Spurs and early lead.  However, after a few spurned opportunities, it was the turn of Brentford's pacy frontline to keep the Tottenham defence on their toes with Kelly Herrett putting in an impressive defensive display.

Leah volleyed home a loose ball, after Lorraine Sparrow had headed back at the far post from a corner, and rounded off her hat-trick before half-time, with Latoyah finally getting a reward for her endeavours with one successful strike to give Tottenham a four goal lead at the interval.

The Ladies stepped things up after the break and played some of their most impressive football to date.  The goals flowed with Flintham adding two more to her tally and Johnson ending up one behind her with four to her name, after netting a second half hat-trick. 

Sam Farnum ran in the first in the second half and was joined by captain Jackie Fearon and substitute Kenne Ogunneye on the scoresheet to take the score to 12-0 by the end.

It was a one sided match, but nonetheless, it was an entertaining match with some superb ball work on display.

The first half saw Tottenham pile on the pressure with the ball rarely entering their half and when it did it was promptly dealt with by the solid looking back-line.

Spurs opened their scoring account with Abidemi Andero picking up her first league goal with a hard close range drive and then soon after added to her tally with a cross come shot that the Hendon keeper failed to deal with and ended in the back of the net. This was only half the story as Spurs piled on the pressure hitting the post twice and having numerous shots on target, but the Hendon goal lived a charmed life and Spurs went in 2-0 at half time.

The second half was a different story with Hendon not really playing any better, but Spurs letting off their foot off the accelerator slightly and inevitably conceding from a corner, this being the major weakness of the ladies lately : leaking goals from set pieces.

But there was worse to come as a clearly offside Hendon player was waved on by the referee, with the Spurs ladies holding an impeccable line there was no one left to deal with the pacy Hendon forward, who couldn't believe her luck and it was honours even.

This was the wake up call the ladies were looking for and from then on the result was never going to be in doubt.  It didn't take long for Flintham to head in from a Herrett free kick and then it was just left to run down the clock with some outstanding ball play and possession which meant Hendon hardly getting another touch and certainly never troubling Munro in the Spurs goal.

Again a good result against the table topping team, but also a warning that Spurs need to tighten up at the back if they are going to put in a serious challenge for the title this season.